


One Down, Eight To Go

by ElvenArcher



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-26
Packaged: 2018-01-11 20:05:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,103
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1177354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElvenArcher/pseuds/ElvenArcher
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was too simple and they all knew it. The blatant signals the explosives were giving off, the obvious choice of locations; this had all been done before. What had they missed?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Who would it be?

_It is always at the back of his mind; the thought of another of his children dying. Bruce watches them train and it resurfaces. Not everyone has the luck that Jason did. If you can call that luck._

It was the Joker. They all knew it the second they met up with Bruce. The clenched jaw, the set of his shoulders; he was only ever this tense where the Joker was concerned. It seemed to be another ‘see how many you can save’ scenario; multiple explosives rigged up in different parts of the city, timed at different intervals. Oracle had quickly located each one and given out coordinates. Batman and Robin were heading to City Hall, Batgirl to the busiest part of the harbor, Nightwing to the downtown subway station, and Red Robin to the sewer tunnels beneath the business district.

_The nightmares are always the same; one of them vanishing in an explosion. Sometimes it’s two of them, sometimes all of them at once. Sometimes it’s Alfred, Stephanie, or Barbara. Either way, they’re gone and he isn’t able to stop it. He is always left alone._

It was too simple and they all knew it. The blatant signals the explosives were giving off, the obvious choice of locations; this had all been done before. What had they missed? It wasn’t until Stephanie’s bomb had been diffused that their mistake made itself known with a soft beep on everyone’s maps. Two more bomb signatures popped up around Red Robin’s location. One goes off almost immediately after surfacing, cutting off the tunnel Tim entered from.

“Red Robin, status.”

“Alive and kicking, B. I’ve located both remaining bombs and have begun disarming the first.”

“Robin and I are heading your way… be cautious.”

_He knows that Jason likes to piggy back his coms whenever the Joker is mentioned. He has a scanner set for certain words and phrases, and doesn’t bother to hide what he’s doing; he just does it and knows Bruce won’t stop him. He also piggy backs Tim’s coms as well. Despite what happened between them, they seem to be close. Bruce doesn’t know what to make of it, but they haven’t killed each other yet and that is always good._

The bombs would not disarm. Tim let out a harsh breath as he watched the numbers continue to count down.

“O, I’m at a bit of a loss here. I’m sending a scan.”

“They’re a completely different setup than the others; frequency rigged. As long as we disable the receptors, they won’t detona-”. Tim’s breath left him as he was thrown against the tunnel wall, the roar of falling debris deafening.

_Sometimes he thinks about the parents.What would Dick’s parents have though of what Bruce had shaped him into? Would Jason’s parents have even cared to know their son? Would the Drakes have been proud of Tim? Cass’s parent’s, he can only imagine. Damian. Bruce can only hope he is doing right by him._

When Tim’s breath returned, he found it choking and labored. The fact that he hurt everywhere was taken as a good sign because at least he still had feeling. He had ended up sandwiched between chunks of rubble, facing the piece of ceiling that held. Craning his neck, Tim was greeted with an upside down view of the remaining bomb. The screen that had shown the countdown now showed the Clown Prince himself. He can hear the Joker’s voice through his com, meaning everyone else can hear it too.

“-and you knoooow what boredom does to me, Batsy! So voila, here we are again! One of your nestlings is in peril and who knows if you’ll be able to save him. How lucky do you think this one is, hmmm? How many lives do you think this one’s got?”

_He can’t stop his mind from wondering._

“At least this one’s had more time, right?”

_If he was to outlive another._

“Say goodbye to the birdie~”

_Who would it be?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late as hell, but here's chapter two.

His apartment is a lot louder than he’d like, but it’s to be expected when Kon and Bart are there. At least he’d been able to kick everyone else out a few hours ago. Dick and Steph had reached the level of ‘insufferable’. Tim chucked a pillow at Bart as he rounded the corner to his bedroom.

“Stop eating all my fruit.” Bart dodged and caught the pillow with the hand not holding a pear.

“I’ve only had four!”

“That’s four too many.” Kon rolled his eyes from his chair on Tim’s right.

“So when do you want Bart to pick up the pizza?” The Kryptionion clone asked. Tim looked on his watch.

“Not for another hour. I’m not hungry yet.” Problem was, he hadn’t been hungry since being released from the hospital two weeks ago. Everything was twenty times harder now and he was always exhausted. Not the usual exhaustion he’d grown accustomed to from balancing work and work, but a crippling exhaustion that creeped up on him until he was moments from passing out on the spot.

_“... and the shrapnel was minimal.”_

_“Thank you, Leslie.” The pair lapsed into a heavy silence as Tim slept in the private recovery room. The Dark Knight’s trusted doctor removed her glasses and massaged the bridge of her nose._

_“I know what you want to ask, Bruce.” The eldest Wayne brushed his adopted son’s hair from his forehead, still keeping silent._

_“At this point...even walking isn’t a guaranteed thing. The debris nearly crushed him to the point of no repair.” Leslie gathered up Tim’s chart and moved to the door._

_“Red Robin’s flying days are over.”_

His first night home, Tim had let himself finally mourn his loss. He had screamed, he had thrown things, he had even cried. He had lost a part of himself again, but for good. He was so angry. Kon had stayed with him that night, having showed up halfway through his episode from concern. Once he’d made sure his friend was unharmed, other than the obvious, Kon had let Tim vent until he cried himself to sleep. The next two weeks was more of the first night. Even though they were decreasing, Tim’s fits of anger were accompanied by his best friend staying the night and it helped. He thought he would just bear it alone, he was used to that, but this time his usual coping mechanisms weren’t enough.

_“AND IF I SEE A DAMN CASE WITH MY SUIT IN IT I WILL DESTROY IT MYSELF!”_

_“Tim, you need to do something about this anger. Just talk to Barb-”_

_“Oooooh no. You don’t get to tell me to talk to someone about my feelings! You are the poster child for repression. **You don’t get to do that, Bruce.** ”_

He hadn’t talked to Bruce for a week and a half after that. Dick was still doing his ‘my family is sad, I must do everything in my power to fix it’ thing and trying to get the two of them to at least call each other. It wasn’t working, Tim was a rock and would not be moved. He was brought back to the present as his doorbell rang. Bart took it upon himself to be Tim’s personal doorman these days. He was back in seconds with who it was.

“Soooo, it’s Jason and _he_ has pizza. Should I let him in? Or just the pizza? Either way we get pizza.” The other ‘middle child’ had been visiting a lot. The first three weeks into Tim’s hospital stay, he’d been virtually nonexistent. Then by the end of the two months, he’d charmed all of Tim’s nurses to just let him in whenever and even figured out all of Tim’s passcodes to this particular apartment when he came home. To be perfectly honest, Tim didn’t expect to see him at all during his recovery.

“Too late, I let myself in!” Came said man from the kitchen. Jason dropped off the eight pizzas on the countertop and made his way into Tim’s room.

“Hey Superhick, hey Carrot Top. How’s my dearest baby brother today?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait for this part! I got a new job, got an awful cold, and then I landed myself in a knee brace & crutches :'D
> 
> But here's the finally finished chapter!

Before either of his friends could answer, Tim huffed slightly.

“Your ‘dearest baby brother’ is just fine. Why do you insist on breaking into my apartment?”

“Because you let me, you dumbass.” Jason answered before striding over to check Tim’s pile of meds on his bedside table.

_The night Tim was hurt, Jason had set out on patrol the minute he’d picked up the Joker’s name mentioned on the scanner. He was almost to one of his informants when the first explosion caught Tim and he spun his bike right around._

“You take your evening meds yet?” Tim silence was the answer Jason expected and immediately set about opening bottles and depositing the aforementioned medications onto the bedspread across Tim’s lap.

“Hey, Flash Junior, fetch Timmy here a new water bottle wouldja?” Kon watched quietly as the second eldest Bat moved into his role as nurse and Bart assisted. The Super had been hesitant to let Jason be this close to Tim at first, their history wasn't the greatest. But as his best friend’s recovery continued, keeping the other former Robin away became more and more difficult. Despite his previous hesitation, Jason seemed to be good for Tim. He listened to the older man and seemed more at ease in his presence than Kon thought possible. He watched the two lightly bicker about taking the evening medication before rolling his eyes at Tim’s legendary stubbornness and interrupting.

“Since the night shift has rolled in, I’m gonna take some pizza & Bart and head home. Need anything before we go?”

_A million and one things began to run through his head as Jason changed routes and increased his speed. This was the first attack the Joker had made against them that was almost too similar to the one that had claimed his life. His breathing was becoming shallow and quicker as the clown could be heard over the coms and he had to bite his lip hard to calm himself down._

“Thanks, Kon, but I’ll be fine.” Tim took a drink from the water Bart had grabbed him before the speedster had returned to the kitchen and the pizza.

“You and Bart head home, I’ll see you guys later.” He let Kon ruffle his hair with his TTK and poked Bart’s cheek when the redhead returned to give him a hug goodbye.

_Jason reached Tim’s location seconds before the other bomb detonated. He’d been right above the sewer line, looking down the hole in the road caused by the first explosive. The Red Hood was knocked off his feet by the force of the second bomb and didn't remember much after that. Dick had told him that when he arrived with Bruce, Jason was desperately trying to dig Tim out of the rubble with his bare hands. He’d, according to Dick, been repeating the same words as he moved._

_“Not you too, not you too-”_

“There. Meds taken, happy now Nurse Todd?”

“Very.” The older man took over the Kon’s empty chair and rocked back on the hind legs.

“So when do you start physical therapy?”

“...”

“You still haven’t set up appointments yet, have you?”

“...No.” Jason sighed.

“The longer you put it off-”

“Yes, Jason, **I know**! You tell me the same thing every time you show up!  I will call them in when I am ready and not a minute sooner.” Tim’s grip on his water bottle caused it to crinkle in his hand.

_“Third time this week, Jason. Sure you’re not tired of me yet? Taking care of the cripple can’t be fun.”_

_“Not with that attitude, kid.”_

_“Deal with it, this is the attitude I have.”_

_“Change ‘attitude’ to ‘anger’ and then we’ll talk.”_

_“You want to talk about anger issues? That’s new.”_

_“...”_

_“...I’m sorry, Jason. I shouldn't have said that...”_

“I’ll do it when I’m ready.” Jason rocked his chair back forward and looked Tim over, his face unreadable.

“Pinky promise me.” Tim’s head shot up and looked incredulously at the other.

“‘Pinky promise’? You can’t be serious.” But Jason was and he moved from the chair to Tim’s bed and held up his pinky.

“Pinky promise me you will call in your pt appointments as soon as you are ready.” Them bedridden young man stared at the pinky finger in front of him for a few seconds before hesitantly locking it with his own pinky.

“...Okay.”

****  
  



	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "… I need to know if you’ll accept the return of Red Robin.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeey guuuuuuuys :'D
> 
> Here's a thing for you. And if you'd like, you can bother me at elvenarcher.tumblr.com  
> I miiiiight even be more motivated to update if people yell in my ask :'D It's worth a shot lol
> 
> Beta'd by @gravitiger <3 I love you and thank you for reading this even though it's not your otp.
> 
> And thank you all so much for the kudos and support! I appreciate it and love you all~

A week after their pinky swear, Tim finally scheduled his physical therapy sessions.

PT was hell. 

Not just for Tim,  but for those around him as well. Doctor Leslie was proven wrong and it seemed that walking was attainable. Unfortunately Tim’s recovery was not going as fast as he’d hoped and it did nothing but frustrate him. 

 

_ “Yeah, okay, I know you’re pissed and you have every right to be. I’m just not going to stand here and be bitched at.” Stephanie moved to grab her sweater. _

_ “Call me when you’ve got a cap on it, Boyfriend.” The door slammed and one of the others remaining in the room flinched. _

_ “Hey, Timmy… maybe you were a little too tough on her there-” _

_ “You can leave too if you’d like, Dick.” _

 

It seemed like no one was safe from his snapping and it wasn’t until Jason snapped back that he began to mellow out.

“Okay Bitch Bird, we need to talk.” Tim had only been back from his appointment about five minutes when Jason had climbed in through his kitchen window.

_ “Excuse me?” _

“We. Need. To.  _ Talk _ .” Jason snagged Tim’s desk chair and purposefully moved it to block the other’s exit from the living room. He sat heavily in his commandeered seat and faced Tim with a look of frustration. Tim let out a breath with an equal amount of frustration.

“And just  _ what  _ are we going to talk about? Because I’m not going to sit here while you lecture me-  _ Jason. _ ” Tim fumed as Jason used a rough boot to stop his wheelchair from moving forward.

“No, you are. I don’t give the slightest  _ fuck  _ about how you treat me, this is nothing to how we were before, but are you really just gonna treat everyone else like this and not feel anything? You care about those idiots, I know you do, and you are going to hate yourself whenever you get through this bitch phase.” Tim was silent, glaring daggers at Jason’s boot. With a dry look, Jason continued.

“They are trying to help you. They know you are losing your goddamn mind in that chair. Maybe if you would let them help you, you’d out of it sooner. At least you have that in front of you and you’re not in O’s position.” Tim’s glare was now focussed on Jason’s face.

“Oh hey now, there’s that death stare. But seriously, shithead, has that never once crossed your pissy little mind? Yeah, ‘oh woe is you’ and all that shit, but at least you  _ can  _ walk again.”

“So you’re guilting me now?”

“And he speaks! Yeah, you bet your ass I am. Because you never give a shit about much else except other people. Whenever you begin to focus on yourself, we get  _ this _ .” He gestured somewhat vaguely at Tim who raised an unamused brow.

“You get so wrapped up whatever your mood is at the time and you get negative as fuck and you lash out. Then you realise you’ve fucked up and it get’s worse because then you push people away for a  _ completely different reason _ . So yeah, let’s go there. Let’s talk about how even though O is worse off, she hasn’t ended up like you.” 

\--

That was all it took. Jason jarring Tim out of out of his funk by guilting him.  _ ‘Thinking back on it now, I’m surprised I didn’t hit him.’ _ He thought to himself as he made his way down to the Cave. He was on his feet now; with a cane for some assistance, but it wasn’t something he hadn’t done before. Of course last time had been all a ruse and he’d never imagined he’d be in this position again. He was glad to find the Cave empty. It was months since he’d even been in the manor, let alone downstairs. As Tim had come to the front, Alfred had met him at the door and helped him inside

 

_ “Welcome home, Master Timothy. It has been far too long.” _

_ “I know, Alfred...I’m sorry.”  _

_ “Think nothing of it, young man. I am just glad to see you standing here before me.” _

 

Seating himself at the main computer console, Tim updated himself on anything he may have missed despite still having his own computer synced to the main system. He was going through files, but not entirely paying attention. Tonight he was going to talk to Bruce. Even though Tim had done his own work as Red Robin, he felt the need to ask Bruce for his approval to begin training again. Before he could continue his return to Red Robin, he needed to talk to the older man.

It was only an hour or so before Bruce joined Tim in the Cave.

“Tim…

“Hey, Bruce.” They were silent, having only talked a couple times over the phone concerning Tim’s progress since their fight the last time they were both in the same room. Bruce’s gaze shifted to Tim’s cane for a second and Tim caught it.

“I shouldn’t need it for much longer.”

“Good.” Tired of Bruce’s one-word answers, Tim went for it.

“Bruce, I need to know…” He nearly faltered, “...I know I still have a ways to go before I’ll be back to how I was. It’s not going to be easy, but before I even start, it’s your city and… I need to know if you’ll accept the return of Red Robin.” The other man was silent, eyes still set on the cane. He was quiet for what seemed to be forever to Tim.

“ _ Bruce _ .” At hearing his name, the man looked away from the cane and focussed on Tim’s face. His mind was cruel and changed the young man’s face to what it was after they had pulled him out of the rubble. Bruce saw blood and dirt plastered to Tim’s cheek, cement dust settled on uncovered bits of skin, and the boy’s face drawn with pain and blood loss. He blinked and the injured Tim was gone. With a breath, Bruce steeled himself for the coming reaction and gave his answer.

“No, no I can’t.”


End file.
